Spring assemblies



June 25, 1963 w. v. SLOMINSKI 3,

SPRING ASSEMBLIES Filed Feb. 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WALTER V. SLOMINSKI OLSEN AND STE P Ial5 b ON United States Patent Oil Free 3,095,189 Patented June 25, 1963 3,095,189 SPRING ASSEMBLIES Wmter V. Slominski, Garfield Heights, Ohio, assignor to Hoover Ball and Bearing Company, Saline, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Feb. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 175,702 11 Claims. (Cl. 267-102) This invention relates generally to upholstered seat structures and more particularly to an improved wire spring assembly for such structures.

Patent No. 2,480,667, assigned to the assignee of this application, shows a wire spring assembly of the type to which this invention relates. The assembly shown therein for a seat back includes spaced upright face springs which are secured at their lower ends to the bottom rail in the seat back supporting frame, and support springs which are secured to the face springs and the upper rail in the back supporting frame. The upholstery pad and cover are applied over the face springs and are generally secured to the frame rails. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved spring assembly of the above type which is readily adaptable to a variety of seating structure requirements. A further object of the invention is an improved spring assembly which provides increased support for the upholstery padding thereby reducing upholstery coupling requirements and sag, and eliminating the possibility of a wavy surface in the upholstery; and which provides for variations in firmness and softness in the seat structure by varying wire gauges and configurations.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wire spring assembly which is readily adaptable to the support and firmness requirements in a particular seating structure.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a seat structure provided with the spring assembly of this invention, with some parts of the seat structure broken away and other parts shown in section to better illustrate the construction of the spring assembly;

FIGURE 2, is a vertical sectional view of the spring assembly shown in FIG. *1, illustrating the assembly in its free position in solid lines and in its trim position in broken lines;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the spring assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view, illustrated similarly to FIG. 2 of a modified form of the spring assembly of this invention; 7

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view the assembly shown in FIG. 4;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view, illustrated similarly to FIGS. 2 and 4, of another modified form of the spring assembly of this invention;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the spring assembly shown in FIG. 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary front elevational view of another modified form of the spring assembly of this invention;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary front elevational view of another modified form of the spring assemblyvof this invention;

FIGURE 10 is a vertical sectional view of still another modified form of the spring assembly of this invention; and

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the modified spring assembly shown in FIG. 10.

With reference to the drawing, one form of the spring assembly of this invention, indicated generally at 10, is

shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, mounted on the back frame 12 for a seating structure 14. The back frame 12 includes a top rail 16 and a bottom rail 17 which is disposed below the top rail 16.

The assembly '10 includes a face spring unit 18 which consists of a plurality of upright face springs 20, a border wire 34 and a tie wire 36. Each of the face springs 20 is of a sinuous shape having generally horizontal cross wire portions 22 which extend transversely to the lengthwise dimension of the face springs 20 and which are generally parallel to each other, and alternately arranged oppositely directed U-shape portions 24 and 26 which connect the cross wire portions 22. The face springs 20 are substantially identical with alternate ones of the face springs 20 being turned over relative to the remaining face springs 20 so that at least certain of the cross wire portions 22 of the face springs 20 are substantially aligned, such as the top cross wire portions 28 and the intermediate cross wire portions 30. The lower end 32 of each face spring 20 is pronged into the bottom rail 17 so that the face springs 20 are securely supported on the bottom rail 17. The top cross wire portions 28 of the face springs 20 are connected to a generally horizontal portion 38 of the border wire 34 by wire clips 40. The border wire 34 also includes downwardly directed portions 42, only one of which is shown, which extend downwardly from opposite ends of the portion 38 and inturned end portions 44, only one of which is shown, which are securely connected to the endmost face springs 20 by clips 46.

Intermediate their upper and lower ends, the face springs 20 are connected to the tie wire 36, which is a paper covered length of straight wire which is secured at its ends by clips 48 to the border wire portions 42. The tie wire 36 is substantially parallel to and adjacent the cross wire portions 30 of the face springs 20 and is attached to the cross wire portions 30 by clips 50.

A plurality of supporting springs 5-2 are secured to the border wire portion 38 and the tie wire '36 at positions between the face springs 20, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. In other words each support spring 5'2'is secured to the border wire portion 38 and the tie wire 36 at a position between a pair of adjacent face springs 20. Each'supporting spring '52 is likewise formed of wire of a sinuous shape having generally parallel cross wire'portions 54 and U-shape connecting portions 56. Each supporting spring 52 is formed so that it is of an irregular shape having an end connecting section 58 and a generally V- shape load resisting section 60 which is formed integral with the connecting portion 58. The supporting springs 52 are positioned so that the end cross wire portions 62 on the connecting sections 58 are adjacent and parallel to the border wire portion 38, and they are secured to the wire portion 38 by clips 64. The cross wire portion 66 at the opposite end of the connection section 58 in each support spring 52 is parallel to and adjacent the tie wire 36 and is secured thereto by clip 68. In each spring 52, the V-shape load resisting section 60, which has diverging leg sections 70 and 72, has its free'end 76 pronged into the top rail 16 so that it is securely attached to the top rail 16.

In use, a padding 7-8 and a covering are applied over the front side of the face spring unit 18 and securedto the top and bottom rails 16 and 17 so that the springs 20 and 52 and the wires 34 and 36 are moved from their free positions to their trim positions shown in broken lines in FIG. 2, to provide the seatingstructure 14 of the desired configuration for design purposes and to load the support springs 52. The spaced relation of the face springs 20 and the supporting spring sections 58, as contrasted to an arrangement of the supporting springs 52 behind the porting the padding 78 and cover 80 in the top portion of the spring assembly 10 to reduce upholstery sag and waves. When body loads are applied to the face springs by the support'spr-ings 52,which are loaded so that the legs'7l) and 72 tend to move toward each other to reduce "the included angleth'erebetween. By virtue of the resistance of the support springs 5-2 to twisting-and bending which results when legs 70tand-72are moved toward each other, the supporting springs 52-resist movement of the facesprings 20 rearwardly in a mannerto eliminate localized' areas of stiflness and hardness in the seat back which is a desirable characteristic in seating structures.

The modified form of-the spring assembly of this'invention, indicated generally'at [main FIGS; 4 and 5, is

identicalto the assembly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3,

- except that the face and support springs 20 and 52, re-

spectively, in the assembly 10 are replaced in the assem- -"bly"10a"by face and support springs 20a and 52:: which are constructed of a' wire known as formed wire insteadof the sinuous wire of which't-he springs 20 and 52 are formed, and consequently like numerals are used in theassembly v10a to indicate like parts inthe assembly 10.

- The'for med wire of which the assembly 10a is constructed has the same characteristic resilient resistance to lateral bending that sinuous wire has, and the term zigzag Wire is used herein as a generic description of both'forms 'ofwireg Each formed wire spring has oross wire portions 82 which extend transversely'of the longitudinal' dimension ofthe spring, and right and left hand connecting wire portions 84 and '86, respectively, which connect the cross wire portions 82.

The end cross wire portions 82in the face springs 20a are aligned and-are secured by clips 40 to the horizontal portion 38 of the border wire 34. Certain of the intermediate ones 'of the cross wire portions 8-2 are likewise aligned and they aresecured by clips 50 to the tie wire '36. The support-springs '52d'are of the same general shape as -the support springs 52 previously described, and include a connecting section '90'which has its'end cross wire portions secured by clips 64 and 68 to'the border wire 34 =-and the tie wire 36, respectively-and a substantially V- shaped load resistingsection 91 which'bas its rear end 93 pronged into the-topraildfi asshown in FIG. '4. In use,

-the'sp'ring assembly 52a-' is installed in the seating structure 14 like the assembly 50 is installed and function's'in a similar 'mannentd provide a yieldable back structure of desired resiliency which does not have objectionable and uncontrollable localized areas of stifines's and hardness.

Another' modified form of the spring assembly of this f invention, indicated generally tat- 10b, is shown in FIGS. 6 'and=7,fwbich'is susbtan'tially identical to the-spring assembly 10 in that itincludes face springs 20and support springs 52 which are secured to a border wire '34'and a *tiewire M in-the same manner that the corresponding springsiare' assembledin-the assembly 10. The assembly 10b diifers ironi the assembly '10 'in that in theassembly "10b each of the facesprings 20 isprovided at its upper end with an integral v sh'aped extension 92 having diverging leg sections 94 and'96. The upper end ofthe leg section 94 is integralwith the upper end ofthe'face spring 20 and is thus secured by the clips 40'to the border wire '34. The leg section 96 has its upper end 98 pronged into the top rail 16.

i the assembly10b,"thei'efore, the facespring exten- -'sions192' cooperate with'th'e support springs 52 to yieldablyf support the face-springs 20. The spring'assembly Still anothermodified form of the spring assembly of i this invention, indicated generally at 10a, is shown in FIG. 8. The spring assembly 100 is similar to the assembly I10, and differs from the assembly 10 only in that in the assembly 100 the face springs 20 are replaced by shorter face springs 100 which have their lower ends pronged into the bottom rail -17 and have their upper end cross wire portions secured by clips 10-2 to the tie wire 36. Yet another modified form of the spring assembly of this invention, indicated generally at 1011 in FIG. 9, is similar to the assembly 10c in that it utilizes shorter face springs 104 which at their lower ends are pronged into the bottom rail 17 and have their upper end cross wire portions secured by clips 106 to the tie wire 36. The spring assembly 10d is similar to the assembly 10a in that it utilizes formed wire in place of sinuous wire and thus has support springs 52a which are constructed and are installed in the assembly ina manner identical to their installation in the assembly 10a. The assemblies 10c and 10d eliminate some'of the spring support for the padding 78 and the cover in the upper portion ofthe seating back structure. However, the assemblies and 10d are advantageous in that they require'face springs of reduced length to thus eliminate cost in the spring assemblies. V

In some seating structures stronger support is "described in the area of the seat back structure referred to as the kidney area since it engages the lower portion of the seat occupantsback adjacent the kidneys. 'In such cases lower support springs 1-10 (FIGS. 10 and 11) may be utilized in any one of the above described seatassemblies to support the lower ends of the face jsprings. In FIGS. 10 and 11 a spring assembly llle is illustrated which is identical to the assembly v10 except that it includes lower support springs .1-10which are positioned between the face springs 20 and are shown in vertical alignment with the upper support springs 52. "The border wire 34 in the assembly 102 has alower portion 112 which is substantially horizontal and is secured by clips 1.14 to the bottom cross wire portions 22 of the face springs 20. A lower tie wire 1-16 is also utilized in the assembly 10a, and the tie wire 116 is secured at'i-ts ends to same shape as an upper support spring 52 when it is inverted and has ,a substantially straight end connecting-section 120-which has its end cross wireportions secured to the tie wire 116 and the bottom border wire portion 112.

A substantially inverted V shape load resisting section 122 which is integral at one end with the section 120 has its opposite end 124 pronged into thebottom rail 17. In 7 the assembly -10e,- the lower support springs function like the upper springs 52 to provide ayieldable uniform support for the lower ends of the face springs 20-and increased support for the seat padding.

In the spring assemblies of this invention, variations in firmness or softness in localized areas of the seat structure are readily obtained by virtue of theconstruction of the assemblies so that the various springs are not directly connected. These variations are obtained by varying the pressure design of the face and support springs, by varying the amount and configuration ofthe wire therein, and by varying the wire gauge utilized therein. The border and tie wires are provided with increased support to thereby eliminate the possibility of wavy surfaces in the upholstery. The firmness of the support is also variable by adjusting the rigidity of the tie wires 36 and 116 since they connect the face and support springs and thus determine the rigidity of the connection of the springs.

It will be understood that the spring assemblies which are herein disclosed and described are presented for purposes of explanation and illustration and arenot intended to indicate limits of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a spring assembly for seating structures having top and bottom supporting rails, a plurality of upright face springs arranged in a side by side relation and each of which has a lower end adapted to be mounted on said bottom rail, a pair of substantially parallel vertically spaced wires at least one of which is connected to and extends between said face springs at a position above said bottom rail, and a plurality of support springs each of which includes a connecting section secured to said wires at a position between adjacent face springs and a substantially V-shape section integral with said connecting section and adapted to be secured to said top rail.

2. In a spring assembly for seating structures having a pair of spaced supporting rails, a face spring unit including border and tie wires, longitudinally extending face springs mounted on said border and tie wires in a side by side spaced relation and adapted to be secured to one of said pair of rails, and a plurality of support springs each of which includes a section having diverging legs and a pair of ends one of which is adapted to be secured to the other rail in said pair of rails and the other one of said ends being secured to said face spring unit at a position between a pair of adjacent face springs.

3. In a spring assembly for seating structures having spaced supporting rails, a plurality of face springs arranged in a side by side relation and each of which has a pair of ends, one of the ends of each of said face springs being connected to one of said rails, a border wire connected to the opposite end of each of said face springs, a tie wire connected to each of said face springs intermediate the ends thereof, and a plurality of support springs each of which includes a connecting section connected to and extending between said tie and border wires at a position between adjacent face springs and a V-shape section integral with said connecting section and secured to the other one of said rails.

4. In a spring assembly for seating structures having vertically spaced top and bottom supporting rails, a plurality of upright face springs arranged in a horizontally spaced relation and secured to said bottom rail at their lower ends, each of said face springs being of a generally zigzag construction and having generally horizontal cross wire portions and connecting portions which extend between said cross wire portions, said face springs having the ends thereof opposite said ends secured to the bottom rail provided with cross wire portions which are in substantial alignment and having intermediate cross wire portions which are likewise in substantial alignment, wire means secured to and extended between the aligned cross wire portions of said face springs, a plurality of support springs each of which is of a generally zigzag construction and has a substantially V-shape portion which is secured at one end to the top rail and at the opposite end is formed integral with a connecting portion which is disposed between a pair of adjacent face springs, and means securing the connecting portions of said support springs to said wire means.

5. In a spring assembly for seating structures having vertically spaced top and bottom supporting rails, a plurality of upright face springs arranged in a horizontally spaced relation and secured to said bottom rail at their lower ends, each of said face springs being of a generally zigzag construction and having generally horizontal cross wire portions and connecting portions which extend between said cross wire portions, said face springs having the ends thereof opposite said ends secured to the bottom rail provided with cross wire portions which are in substantial alignment and having intermediate cross wire portions which are likewise in substantial alignment, substantially parallel vertically spaced wire members secured to and extended between the aligned cross Wire portions of said face springs, a plurality of support springs each of 6 which is of a generally zigzag construction and has a substantially V-shape portion which is secured at one end to the top rail and at the opposite end is formed integral with a connecting portion which is disposed between a pair of adjacent face springs, and means securing the connecting portions of said support springs to said wire members.

6. In a spring assembly for seating structures having vertically spaced top and bottom supporting rails, a plurality of upright face springs arranged in a horizontally spaced relation at a position forwardly of said rails, vertically spaced wire members connected to and extended between said face springs adjacent the lower ends thereof, lower support springs having longitudinally spaced portions thereof secured to said wire members at positions between said face springs and a substantially inverted V-shape section integral with said spaced portions and secured at one end to said bottom rail, each of said face springs being of a generally zigzag construction and having generally horizontal cross wire portions and connecting portions which extend between said cross wire portions, wire means secured to and extended between said face springs adjacent the upper ends thereof, a plurality of support springs each of which is of a generally zigzag construction and has a substantially V-shape portion which is secured at one end to the top rail and at the opposite end is formed integral with an attaching portion which is disposed between a pair of adjacent face springs, and means securing the connecting portions of said support springs to said wire means.

7. A spring assembly for seating structures comprising a plurality of upright face springs arranged in a side by side relation and each of which has a lower end and an upper end, a pair of substantially parallel vertically spaced wires at least one of which is connected to and extends between said face springs at a position above the bottom ends thereof, and a plurality of support springs each of which includes a connecting section secured to said wires at a position between adjacent face springs and a load resisting section integral with said connecting section and having diverging legs which yieldably resist movement toward each other.

8. A spring assembly for seating structures comprising a face spring unit including border and :tie wires, longitudinally extending face springs mounted on said border and tie wires in a side by side spaced relation, and a plurality of support springs each of which includes a V-shape section having a pair of ends one of which is adapted to be secured to a fixed support, and a connecting section formed integral with the other one of said ends and secured to said border and tie wires at a position between a pair of adjacent face springs.

9. A spring assembly for seating structures comprising a plurality of upright face springs arranged in a spaced side by side relation, each of said face springs being of a generally zigzag construction and having generally horizontal cross wire portions and connecting portions which extend between said cross wire portions, said face springs having the upper ends thereof provided with cross wire portions which are in substantial alignment and having intermediate cross wire portions which are likewise in substantial alignment, Wire means secured to and extended between the aligned cross wire portions of said face springs, a plurality of support springs each of which is of a generally zigzag construction and has a substantially V-shape section which at one end is formed integral with an upwardly extending connecting section which is disposed between a pair of adjacent face springs and has end cross wire portions, and means securing the end cross wire portions of said connecting sections to said wire means.

10. A spring assembly for seating structures comprising a plurality of upright face springs arranged in a spaced side by side relation, each of said face springs being of a generally zigzag construction and having generally horizontal cross wire portions and connecting portions which extend between said crosswire portions, said face springs having the upperends' thereofprovided with cross wire 'fPOl'tlOIlSWhiCh arein substantial alignment and having -intermediate cross wire portions'which arelikewise in substantial-alignment, wire means secured to and extended between the aligned cross wire portions of said face springs, a plurality of-supp0rtsprings each of which is of a generally zigzag construction and has a substantially V shape section which at one end is 'formedintegral "with an upwardly extending connecting section which is disposed between a pair of adjacent face springs and has end cross wire portions, means securing the end cross wire portions of said connecting sections to said wire means, 'ahdV-shape extensions on theupper ends of said face springs extending downwardly therefrom.

11; A-spring assembly for'seating structures comprising a pluralitycf upright longitudinally extending face springs arranged in a side by side spaced relation and having upper and lower ends; each of said face springs beingof a generally zigzag construction and having cross wire portions which extend transversely of the longitudinal "dimension of saidface-spring and connecting portions which extend between said cross wire portions; substantially, parallel vertically spaced wire'rnembers secured to and extended between cross wire portions of' said'oface springs adjacent the upper ends" thereof, a plurality of References Cited in the file ofthis patent i UNITED STATES PATENTS 12,384,191 Neely sepr.4, 1945 a F Neely June 30, 1953 

1. IN A SPRING ASSEMBLY FOR SEATING STRUCTURES HAVING TOP AND BOTTOM SUPPORTING RAILS, A PLURALITY OF UPRIGHT FACE SPRINGS ARRANGED IN A SIDE BY SIDE RELATION AND EACH OF WHICH HAS A LOWER END ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON SAID BOTTOM RAIL, A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL VERTICALLY SPACED WIRES AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDS BETWEEN SAID FACE SPRINGS AT A POSITION ABOVE SAID BOTTOM RAIL, AND A PLURALITY OF SUPPORT SPRINGS EACH OF WHICH INCLUDES A CONNECTING SECTION SECURED TO SAID WIRES AT A POSITION BETWEEN ADJACENT FACE SPRINGS AND A SUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPE SECTION INTEGRAL WITH SAID CONNECTING SECTION AND ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO SAID TOP RAIL. 